The effect of car restrictions were immediately felt once they began yesterday in Beijing. The restrictions will stay in place until the September 3rd parade, taking approximately half of all cars from Beijing roads based upon whether a car’s license plate ends in an odd or even number.

Drivers unable to hit the road were instead forced to take the city’s subway, leading to massive crowds:

But what was uncomfortable for subway passengers was excellent for Beijing drivers lucky enough to have the right license plate. No traffic jams were reported yesterday as drivers experienced clear roads while driving during rush hour:

Ordinarily one of China’s busiest and slowest commutes for cars, a traffic map shows non-congested roads during Beijing’s peak travel times:

One Weibo user went so far as to say, “I strongly propose that Beijing retain the driving restrictions even after September 3.”

Despite some grumbling from those who had to take the subway, it’s clear the restrictions are getting results. Weibo users posted pictures of blue skies around Beijing, noticing how much better the air quality is without so many cars:

Besides the car restrictions, authorities have shut down tens of thousands of factories and power plants in an effort to reduce pollution in time for the September 3 military parade.

At the present time, Beijing has an AQI of 63.